Volkswagen unveils 404bhp Golf designed by apprentices

Volkswagen has kicked-off its Worthersee annual meeting by unveiling a hardcore Golf designed by their apprentices.

The Golf GTI First Decade, the tenth apprentice-built car, is powered by a 404bhp petrol engine coupled to a 48-volt electric motor with an output of 12kW.

Its hybrid system is used to drive all-four wheels of the car, rather than the Golf GTI's tradition front-wheel layout, while the petrol engine sends power to the front axle and the electric motor drives the rear wheels.

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It can be driven on either petrol or electric power, although VW says the latter can only be used for parking and pulling away from traffic lights.

Inside are only two seats, says AutoExpress, but "they're pretty hi-tech and can be controlled via an app - with a massage function and electric adjustment".

First Decade badges are located throughout the cabin, while a "huge 1,690-watt sound system with 11 speakers" can be found in the boot.

Along with the Golf GTI First Decade, the apprentices also fettled a Golf GTE estates, which Autocar says has "a heavier focus upon the car’s electric powertrain".

The GTE Estate Impulse E features 165kW electric motor paired with a 16.8kWh "prototype battery pack", adds the mag.

Both cars will appear at the Worthersee Golf GTI celebration in Germany, a "pilgrimage-festival for modified car enthusiasts" of VW vehicles, says Top Gear.

At its 2007 event, Volkswagen debuted a radical Golf powered by a 641bhp W12 engine, although the car never reached production.

Nor are there plans to put this year's apprentice-built Golfs into production, but Top Gear says the project indicates the company "is thinking about integrating electricity into its core heartland models".